title: Methyl sulfone manifests anticancer activity in a metastatic murine breast cancer cell line and in human breast cancer tissue--part 2: human breast cancer tissue.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Methyl sulfone is a small molecule that reverses cancerous phenotypes of a melanoma cell line. Here, we sought to determine whether methyl sulfone was effective against human breast cancer tissue.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied normal and cancerous breast tissue obtained from 17 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Methyl sulfone introduced structural order, with cancer tissue taking on the morphology of normal in vivo breast tissue; this structural order was sustainable over long-term culture. Methyl sulfone promoted proper wound healing, including migration of cells into wounded areas and establishment of stable contact inhibition once wounds were covered. Methyl sulfone decreased expression of two breast stem cell marker proteins, HCAM and OCT3/4, which are associated with aberrantly rapid migration of metastatic cells. Finally, normal and cancerous primary breast cells remained viable and healthy in methyl sulfone culture for at least 90 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Methyl sulfone reintroduced a normal structural phenotype to human breast cancer tissues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA. caron@nso1.uchc.edu
authors.forename: Joan McIntyre
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Caron
authors.forename: Luke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Monteagudo
authors.forename: Melinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.forename: Marissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bannon
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Deckers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001940:Breast / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000378:metabolism; D013450:Sulfones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C497483:CD44 protein, human; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; D013450:Sulfones; C025910:dimethyl sulfone; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide